Treated wastewater to be used for irrigation in south Apache Junction

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

Reclaimed water will soon be flowing from the sewer district to the water district and then sent by pipe to irrigate plants and trees in south Apache Junction.

The Apache Junction Sewer District Board on June 24 voted 4-0 to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the Apache Junction Water Utilities Community Facilities District for the sale of reclaimed water and the lease of fiber optic cables. Vice Chair Jim Reynolds was absent.

The water utility will initially pay 85 cents per 1,000 gallons of reclaimed water — water that has been treated or processed by the wastewater treatment plant.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, it will increase to the prevailing rates, fees and charges for reclaimed water. On July 1, 2027, and July 1 each year going forward it will increase to the prevailing rates, fees and charges, it states in the agreement.

“It’s been some time we’ve been working on it, going back and forth with our district and their attorney — who is also the city attorney. We’ve come to a good point on the IGA,” Sewer District Manager Darron Anglin told the board before the vote. “There is a lot in here — not only for the sale of reclaimed water, the nonpotable, but also for the lease of the land where the nonpotable station is located and then as you saw in the title of the lease, the fiber-optic cable that we are using for our internet. A few things wrapped up in here.”

The sewer district entered into a development and sewer service agreement on Sept. 24, 2021, for Superstition Vistas with D.R. Horton Inc. for the development of approximately 2,800 gross acres of real property. The sewer district agreed to provide the Apache Junction water utilities community facilities district with Class A effluent and nonpotable water to be resold for construction and landscape irrigation use on the property, according to the approved agreement.

The water utility district entered into a development and water service agreement on Oct. 13, 2021, for Superstition Vistas with D.R. Horton Inc. for the development of the property. The water utility agreed to accept reclaimed water from the sewer district to be resold for construction and landscape irrigation use on the property, it states.

For the fiber optics, the water utility owns fiber optic cables that extend from its property at 4850 S. Ironwood Drive to facilities on sewer district property at 5661 S. Ironwood Drive. The sewer district desires the exclusive use of at least four strands of the cables to provide internet access to its facilities and the water utility agrees to lease that fiber to the sewer district, it states.

Superstition Mountains Community Facilities District No. 1 — now known as the Apache Junction Sewer District — was formed by Apache Junction City Council in July 1992.

At its start-up in January 1996, the district’s collection system served 1,000 customers. Today, its collection system serves more than 7,000 customers and includes more than 115 miles of pipe and a lift station to convey wastewater to its water reclamation facility. The district’s service area has grown from 17 square miles to more than 50 square miles, according to its website.

Board members to the sewer district are appointed by the Apache Junction City Council.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.